In parent application Ser. No. 38,719, filed May 14, 1979 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,832 (the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein), a practical, versatile, efficient article supporting assembly is provided that makes maximum use of the available space and supports articles associated therewith in a manner such that they may be readily seen and removed. Accordingly to the present invention, a further variation is provided of an article supporting assembly that is designed to make efficient use of this space, support the articles so that they may be readily seen and removed, and provide great versatility of use. The portable article supporting container according to the present invention is especially advantageous in that it allows access to a certain number of articles supported thereby in a convenient, simple, manner that does not require opening the entire container; while at the same time having a great container volume and once the container is completely opened utilizes one portion thereof to support another portion so that all of the articles contained thereby are readily accessible.
According to the present invention, a portable article supporting container is provided which comprises a first container portion including first, second, third and fourth walls (the first wall being opposite the third wall and the second wall opposite the first wall), and a second container portion including first, second, third and fourth walls. Means are provided for pivotally mounting the first and second container portions together along the first walls thereof for movement from a first position wherein the walls of the respective container portions are substantially coplanar, to a second position wherein the walls of the respective container portions are substantially perpendicular to each other. First latch means are provided for latching the container portions in the first position thereof, and second latch means are provided for latching them in the second position thereof. A pair of article supporting plates are provided which article supporting plates are the readily accessible portions of the container. Means are provided for operatively pivotally connecting the article supporting plates to the container first portion so that the plates may be moved from a first position substantially contained within the volume define by the first through fourth walls of the first container portion, to a second position wherein the plates extend outwardly from the volume substantially perpendicular to a plane containing the first container portion first through fourth walls. Preferably, the article supporting plates defined, in the first position thereof, a fifth wall of the first container portion, the fifth wall being on the opposite side of the wall of the first container as the container second portion.
The means for operatively pivotally connecting the article supporting plates to the container first portion preferably comprise a structure such as illustrated in parent application Ser. No. 38,719 filed May 14, 1979, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,832. In particular, a center structure attached to at least one of the first through fourth walls of the first container portion is provided, at least two spanners, first hinges for connecting the article supporting plates to the spanners, and second hinges for connecting the spanners to the center structure. The center structure is preferably mounted for rotation about an axis extending between the first and third walls of the first container portion. Alternatively, or in addition, article supporting plates may be provided with means for operatively pivotally connecting them to the container first portion including a center structure attached to at least one of the first container first through fourth walls, a support member rigidly attached to and extending substantially perpendicular from the center structure, and hinge means for pivotally mounting both of the article supporting plates to the support member.
The second container portion is substantially larger and heavier than the first container portion so that when the first container portion is in the second position thereof with respect to the second container portion, with a vertical plane containing each of the second container portion first through fourth walls, the first portion will be supported by the second portion without tipping over.
The second latch means may comprise a locking hinge assembly having first and second levers pivotally mounted to the first and second containers, respectively, at one end thereof, and pivotally mounted to each other adjacent another end thereof. An opening is formed in one of the levers for cooperation with a spring loaded latching member mounted on the other lever so that when the levers are brought into overlapping position an end of the latching member penetrates the opening to hold the levers together. Cam means are formed on the end of the latching member for effecting movement thereof when the levers are brought into overlapping position. Two such locking hinge assemblies are provided connected to the second and fourth walls of the first and second container portions respectively. The second container portion includes a fifth solid wall rigidly connected to the first and fourth walls and extending perpendicular thereto, disposed on the opposite side of the first through fourth walls as the container first portion. A handle is mounted to the second container third wall portion, and interior metal supporting frames are provided for both the first and second container portions for supporting the walls thereof.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a versatile and efficient portable article supporting container. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.